


It's Cram Time, Baby

by starbitz



Series: drabbles [7]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Exams, M/M, all-nighters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23085808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starbitz/pseuds/starbitz
Summary: “Want to go for another round of coffee and pull an all-nighter?” Donghyuck asked, the beginnings of a grin playing on his lips.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: drabbles [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917133
Kudos: 45





	It's Cram Time, Baby

**Author's Note:**

> i like to swear but this is rated G anyway lmfao
> 
> also: based off the american college system bc i go to college in america

Donghyuck woke up in a daze. He lifted his head from the table, where his forehead was pressed against a page of his open notebook and squinted his eyes at the brightness of the room. He was sitting at a desk in the 24-hour campus library, preparing (cramming) for an exam he had coming up. 

“Shit,” he muttered, running a hand over his face and through his hair. After checking his phone, he calculated that his exam was roughly 14 hours from now, and it was 3 am. When the hell did he fall asleep?

Donghyuck inhaled shakily and put his face in his hands, exhaling as steadily as he could. He had to do good on this exam in order to finish the class with the grade he wanted, and he just wasted God knows how long passed the fuck out over his lecture notes. 

After he gave himself a second to breathe, he lifted his head again to resume studying. When he glanced down at his notes, he honestly felt the urge to cry when he realized he smudged part of it when he had his head down. That probably meant there was pen ink on his forehead. Fantastic. 

“Shit,” he said again in despair, moving to open his phone again, but this time so he could check his face. When he saw his reflection with smudged, backward letters in black ink on his forehead, his eyes immediately started to burn with unshed tears. He was so fucking tired of this. Of college. Of everything. 

“Donghyuck?” 

Donghyuck looked up at the sound of his name to see Mark, who was, for some reason, holding 2 medium cups of coffee. They lived on the same floor in their dorm, but they honestly hardly knew each other since they lived on opposite ends of the hall. Donghyuck guessed they knew each other well enough. 

When Mark noticed the ink on Donghyuck’s forehead, he pulled his lip between his teeth to try to fight the urge to laugh. “What’s on your forehead?”

“Please do not mention the ink on my forehead,” Donghyuck warned, sending him a tired glare. He moved his hands frantically to try to make sure his hair covered what it could of his forehead. 

“Is everything okay?” Mark asked, a small amount of worry present in his expression. 

“Absolutely fine,” Donghyuck said sarcastically, letting his hands drop to his lap after he did what he could to fix his hair. He eyed the drinks Mark was holding again, then looked back up at him. “Why do you have 2 coffees?”

Mark wordlessly extended his arm, holding out one of the coffees for Donghyuck to take. He gaped at him, confused. “You got that for me?”

Mark took a sip of the one he wasn’t holding out for Donghyuck to take. “I bought 2 so that I could make it through the night without falling asleep, but you look like you need some caffeine, so please take it.”

Donghyuck wasn’t going to lie, a coffee sounded pretty good right now, so he reached for it and quietly thanked him. Seeing the small smile on Mark’s face after Donghyuck took his first sip made him feel even warmer than the coffee did. 

“Is it okay if I sit?” Mark asked, pointing to the chair across from Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck thought about it for a second. He needed to get some work done, but having some company wouldn’t hurt. He nodded. “As long as you don’t distract me.”

Mark smiled again. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I’ve got to get stuff done too.”

Donghyuck sipped on his coffee and watched Mark’s movements as he set his things down, pulling his laptop and a notebook out of his bag. When he opened his laptop, his eyes met Donghyuck’s, so he lazily turned back to his own work. He didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was watching him. It really didn’t matter all that much. 

They were both quiet for a while, the only sounds being Mark tapping at his keyboard and Donghyuck turning the pages of his notebook. Mark had stayed true to his word of not bothering him, thankfully. Donghyuck looked up from his notes every once in a while and every time, he saw Mark with his brows furrowed, staring at his laptop screen with the end of his pen dangling from his mouth as he typed. He could tell he was focused. 

Mark wasn’t directly distracting him, but he realized that he wasn’t really that focused anymore. Donghyuck clicked his pen and put his chin in the palm of his hand. He stared at his notebook, scribbles in the margins and overall a little messy, and hoped he’d find any ounce of motivation to get back to work. 

He looked back at Mark, who was now searching through his bag for something and drank a little more of his coffee. When he sat back up, he stared back at him. “What?” he asked. 

“I can’t focus,” Donghyuck deadpanned. He didn’t really know why he was trying to talk to him. He said earlier that he had shit to do, why should Mark listen to him when he could be working?

“Something on your mind?” Mark asked. He set the calculator he had just pulled from his bag on top of an open notebook. Donghyuck then remembered that Mark was an engineering and creative writing double major. 

Donghyuck bit his lip. “I don’t know. I just can’t focus.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Mark asked, concerned. 

“No,” Donghyuck said, entirely too quickly. He didn’t want to admit that he kind of liked Mark’s company. “No, you don’t have to leave.”

Mark smiled again and Donghyuck found himself smiling back slightly. They both looked away. 

“You should take a break,” Mark suggested after a lull in the conversation, talking to Donghyuck now as he did his work. “You’ve obviously been here a lot longer than I have.”

Donghyuck leaned back in his chair. He hadn’t really moved in more than 4 hours. Taking a break wasn’t a bad idea. 

“You could wash your notes off your forehead,” Mark suggested with a grin on his face. Donghyuck shot another glare at him but got up anyway. He could hear Mark laugh even as he walked away from the table. 

No one was in the bathroom when Donghyuck walked in. That was good because he really didn’t want anyone else staring at his forehead. But it was nearly 4 in the morning, so most sane people were asleep right now. 

Standing in front of the mirror, he stared at his mess of a reflection. With finals approaching, he hadn’t really been eating proper meals and he was probably averaging 4 hours of sleep a night at this point. He was breaking out and his hair was a disaster. He was tired. And he looked tired. He sighed and looked away to turn the water on. Luckily, the ink came off pretty easy and he was out of the bathroom once he dried his face and hands. 

Mark watched his movements as he sat back down across from him, giving him a skeptical look. “What?” Donghyuck asked, defensive. Did he not get everything off his face? 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mark asked. Donghyuck hated how nice Mark was being. He was fine, he was still living and breathing. Mark didn’t need to worry about him. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Donghyuck said, averting his gaze. 

“How long have you been studying here?”

“Uhh,” Donghyuck supplied, thinking back to when he sat down in this very chair. It was way too long ago. “8 pm I think?”

“What? Seriously? Why?”

“What do you mean, why? I’ve got to study! I’m sure there are people here that have been here longer than me.”

“Have you eaten anything?” 

“No, not in a while. But I swear if you suggest -“

“Pack up your things, we’re going on an adventure,” Mark declared with a wide grin, wiggling his brows. It was then that he noticed that Mark had his keys on the table. He probably drove here. Why was Donghyuck noticing everything so late?

“What?” It was Donghyuck’s turn to be surprised. He was almost baffled too. “What do you mean? I need to study. I’m not getting up.”

“You can’t just sit here until your exam,” Mark said, slipping his laptop into his bag and zipping it. “I saw your notes. If that’s the same class my roommate is in, then your exam isn’t until the evening, right? You can’t sit here until then.”

“I sure as hell can,” Donghyuck challenged stubbornly. He crossed his arms. In all seriousness, though, he really did still need to study. But he  _ was _ kind of hungry.

Mark just stared at him. “Are you saying that you don’t want a ride to McDonald’s right now? Because I’m going whether or not you’re coming with.”

Donghyuck held Mark’s gaze for a second, trying to hold his ground, but he gave in with an over-exaggerated sigh. “Fine, I  _ guess  _ I’ll go with you.”

Mark stood up and swung his backpack over his shoulder as he waited for Donghyuck to pack up his things. They were in no real hurry, so Donghyuck took his time. 

He didn’t really know what he was doing. He came to the library with the determination to cram for his exam as long as time would allow and then crash after he was done. Now, he was walking next to Mark, who he hardly knew well enough to do something like this with, and who was blabbering about something he was planning to do over winter break. Something about going back home to Canada. 

“What are you doing over break?” Mark asked suddenly, his voice startling Donghyuck from his thoughts. He apologized quietly for startling him, then looked at him expectantly. It seemed like he was genuinely interested in what Donghyuck’s plans were and what he had to say. Mark pressed a button on his keys. His car beeped from a little way in front of them. 

“I’m going back to Korea,” Donghyuck said, a small smile on his face. “According to my little sister, her and my little brothers miss me a lot. She texts me nearly every day.”

“That’s so cute,” Mark said, smiling as well. They both got into his car. “I wish my older brother would text me sometimes.”

“What’s he like?” Donghyuck asked.  _ Why was he asking? _

“He’s an engineer,” Mark started the engine. “He’s pretty much the reason that I’m also an engineering major on top of my creative writing major.”

As they drove, Mark asked him about his family and they ended up telling stories until they got to McDonald’s. Donghyuck’s face kind of hurt from smiling. He hadn’t felt like that in a while. 

“Want me to just go through the drive-thru?” Mark asked, pulling into the parking lot. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Donghyuck replied with a shrug. Mark wordlessly drove around to get to the drive-thru. They ended up ordering a lot of food and they unanimously decided that they would just drive around until they were finished with their food. Who knew if they would even end up going back to study. 

“Who’s your favorite singer?” Mark broke the silence as they approached a light. Donghyuck turned to look at him, watching as the color lighting up his face went from red to green. Mark unceremoniously shoved a couple of fries in his mouth.

“I don’t have a favorite,” Donghyuck said. “I listen to everything.”

“You have to like someone the most. Even if it’s just by a little bit,” Mark laughed. 

“Turn the radio on,” Donghyuck said. They had been driving in silence since they pulled through the drive-thru because they had to turn down the music to be heard. Mark turned up the volume and the beginning of Bruno Mars’ remix of  _ Finesse  _ filled the car with sound. Donghyuck sat up straighter and turned to look at Mark with an excited smile, Mark’s face mirroring his own. 

Donghyuck had no clue what possessed him - the two of them - to break into song the way they did, but the second the lyrics started to stream from the speakers, Mark started rapping and Donghyuck was definitely the type to respond to other peoples’ energies. So he started singing. Loud. Mark cranked up the volume and Donghyuck rolled his window down and stuck his head out of it, not caring one bit about the stark contrast of their volume to the quiet campus. 

Doing this didn’t feel weird. Even though he was with Mark, who he’d only interacted with when they bumped into each other a couple of times in the hallway of their dorm, nothing about this felt awkward. Maybe the sheer lack of sleep and need for an excuse to let loose is what brought his walls down, but he was happy. He was having fun, and during finals week, of all times. He didn’t think he’d be able to smile like this until he was on the ground back home for winter break.

Donghyuck glanced over at Mark after bringing his head back into the car, who returned his glance when he noticed the movement. He still had a smile on his face as he sang along to the song too, getting into it just as much as Donghyuck was. Everything about this night had been weird. Right now, it felt like Donghyuck had known Mark for a lot longer than just when the fall semester started, if that even counted as knowing him. Being around him for the past few hours had been so easy. 

As the song ended and the radio show host’s voice rang through the speakers, Donghyuck laughed. “That actually made me feel a lot better, surprisingly,” He felt like he was coming down from some sort of high, it was weird how much better he felt. He had a feeling he was going to crash later, and  _ hard _ . 

“Me too,” Mark said. Then, “And you’re really good at singing.”

“Oh, thanks,” Donghyuck said, suddenly bashful. He turned his gaze back to the road in front of them, falling silent. The difference in volume compared to before was jarring, it was like the air was still vibrating from the leftover energy of their loud voices. The radio show host was still talking, her voice now the loudest thing in the car. She was saying something about Christmas, Donghyuck noted absentmindedly. In the distance, he could see the library they just came from. 

He sighed after a few more moments of silence. “I really don’t want to study anymore, but this exam could make or break my grade.”

Mark parked in the parking lot and turned to face Donghyuck. “I can drive us back if you want. We live in the same dorm anyway.”

Donghyuck ran his fingers through the front of his tangled hair, thinking. He really should study, but his body had been urging him to sleep pretty since the clock hit midnight. He eyed the clock in the car; it read 5:07 AM. If he went to sleep now, he would definitely not be up in time for his exam. That sounded like a nightmare. 

“Want to go for another round of coffee and pull an all-nighter?” Donghyuck asked, the beginnings of a grin playing on his lips. “I’ll pay this time.”

Mark shrugged. “Let’s do it.”

*

Donghyuck walked out of his exam at 9 PM feeling like utter death. He felt like he did okay, which was good, but he also felt like he was going to pass out. Or die. He would accept either option at this point. 

Once his phone was back on, he noticed a text from Mark asking him how the exam went. They had exchanged numbers when they parted ways earlier that afternoon. After they texted for a couple of minutes, Donghyuck decided that, since he didn’t have any more exams, he was going to go back home and sleep until he woke up naturally. He honestly had no clue when that would be. His flight wasn’t for a few more days, anyway, so who was going to stop him?

**Author's Note:**

> long time no see! writer's block has been beating my ass for the past few months and i'm really sorry about not getting anything out. i wrote most of this back in december during my finals week and i finally got around to finishing it. anyway, i hope that you guys are staying healthy and happy with everything that's been going on. make sure you're drinking water and de-stressing when you need to! and finally, thank you, as always, for reading!! <3
> 
> (go stream kick it!!!)


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